Family & Children's Services Division

The mission of the Family and Children’s Services Division is to encourage and provide
for the safety, well being, and permanence of children by supporting and enhancing
family systems.

Safety of children is our first concern, but the Family and Children’s Division
recognizes that the family is the fundamental resource for nurturing children, and
we seek to work in partnership with family members to ensure that all children are
nurtured and well cared for. Often a family crisis can be an opportunity for change
and DSS is committed to working with families to solve problems that may cause stress
within a family and put children at risk.

What do we do?

The Family and Children’s Division provides services to safe guard children when
someone reports that a child has been neglected or abused. Our foremost goal is
to keep families together whenever possible. When this is not possible, staff work
to find a permanent home for children who come into the custody of the Department
of Social Services. Click on one of the areas below to learn more about our services:

What causes child abuse?

Why would someone abuse or neglect a child? What kind of person abuses a child?
Not all abuse is deliberate or intended. Several factors in a person's life may
combine to contribute toward abusing a child:

general stress

the stress of having children in the family, when one didn't have children before

dealing with a child who has a disability or difficult behaviors

the stress of caring for someone besides oneself

a personal history of being abused (childhood trauma)

alcohol or drug use

marital conflict

unemployment

No
one has been able to predict which of these factors will cause someone to abuse
or neglect a child. A significant factor is that abuse tends to be intergenerational
- those who were abused as children are more likely to repeat the act when they
become parents or caretakers. Children who are neglected or abused are much more
likely to become involved with the juvenile justice system later.

Our children are everyone’s responsibility. It really does take an entire community
to ensure that families have access to good jobs, good schools, and a support system
to ensure that they can deal with the stress of raising a child.